


Tell Me Something Good (Tell Me That You Love Me)

by Mil_Tries



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Firsts, just fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 17:38:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18393173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mil_Tries/pseuds/Mil_Tries
Summary: The first time Penelope Park lays eyes on Josie Saltzman she freezes, and Penelope never freezes.OrA collection of Posie firsts.





	Tell Me Something Good (Tell Me That You Love Me)

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone is always going on and on about how flustered Josie is by Penelope but you can't tell me Mrs. "I Love You With All My Heart" isn't just as much of a gay disaster for Disney Princess Josie Saltzman. I wanted to show how their relationship is equal, and Josie maybe taught Penelope a thing or two too. So here's something fluffy and corny and gay.

The first time Penelope Park lays eyes on Josie Saltzman she freezes, and Penelope never freezes. 

It’s like some kind of cheesy romantic comedy. Her heart pounds in her ears, picking up pace, and she doesn’t breathe for a full fifteen seconds.

Two thoughts flit through her mind. The first: I’m in love. The second: This is so embarrassing. 

It’s a major what the fuck moment in Penelope’s life, moments that seem to come more often when in the company of her friends at the Salvatore Boarding School.

It’s not that Josie isn’t stunning, she is, Penelope would have to be blind not to see it. Josie looks the perfect picture of a classic Hollywood starlet, as if Audrey Hepburn was playing a catholic school girl. 

Who was also an angel. A very pretty Disney princess angel.

It’s just that this wasn’t Penelope’s style. Penelope Park could turn men into dust with a flick of her eyebrow. She was always in control, she was always a step ahead of everyone around her, she was never flustered.

So when Penelope sees Josie for the first time from across the lunch room nibbling on a peanut butter sandwich as dainty as a royal, and it causes her to choke on her iced coffee, she saw it as a major problem.

Her best friend, MG, a particularly sunny and particularly nerdy vampire, stops halfway through discussing whatever new girl he’s currently fawning over to thump his hand on her back. Penelope, annoyed, shoves his hand away from her and reaches for his water, helping herself to a sip to calm her throat. MG watches her, concerned.

“Damn Peez, drink much?” He jokes, trying not to draw more attention to her embarrassing mishap. Penelope rolls her eyes.

“You’ll have to forgive me,” the brunette dead pans, “I just found filling my lungs with liquid more intriguing than listening to you drone on about whoever your love of the week is.”

MG isn’t deterred by her icy attitude, “Dog on me all you want but I know for a fact that just last week you cried to "Up" in your dorm room. I know you’re a softy Penelope Park. If you aren’t careful, I’ll let that little secret slip.”

Penelope just sends her most dangerous smirk MG’s way. He gulps.

“No one will ever believe you,” she whispers, dangerously. “Would you like to know what they will believe though? How a certain vampire still has nightmares about Rita Repulsa from Mighty Morphing Power Rangers.”

MG’s eyes widen. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.” Penelope raises a brow. She smiles at the boy, entirely amused. MG shakes his head, laughing.

“Sure Park, go right ahead. Let the whole world believe you’re dangerous, I won’t rat you out.”

Penelope smirks, glad her best friend is so easily manipulated. Or maybe he’s just loyal to her, who can say?

MG, bored with the teasing, launches back into how the new blonde from class makes his heart palpitate. Penelope zones out, not really caring much what he has to say. Her eyes inevitably stray back to the new girl, her perfectly adorable space buns, and her stupidly adorable face. Penelope curses all of her thoughts, willing them to go away.

Last year, the witch had ghosted more girls than she could count. She was a hot commodity around this school. She did not fawn. And yet, here she was, starring at this stunning sunflower of a girl whose dark eyes looked like they held the secrets to happiness. Repulsive.

Somewhere in the middle of his ramble, MG realizes he lost Penelope’s attention. He follows her line of sight, then sighs.

“There she is, isn’t she stunning?”

Penelope’s eyes snap to her best friend, instantly defensive. “I thought you said she was blonde,” she states, a little too hastily.

“She is. In the red. She’s perfect.”

Sure enough, next to the fairy Penelope was trying her hardest to memorize, sat a much sterner looking blonde girl. Penelope snorts.

“She looks like she could eat you for breakfast.”

MG scoffs. “I resent that. Lizzie would never do that. She’s too… perfect.”

“Lizzie?”

MG smiles soppily. “Lizzie Saltzman. She’s one of the new head master’s twins.”

Penelope nods, understanding settling over her. Of course. The school recently hired a new headmaster. It was common news that he was coming, with his two magically gifted perfect children in toe, to rehabilitate the school system. It would be just Penelope’s luck to be disgustingly smitten with the headmaster’s narc of a daughter.

Penelope’s eyes roam over the blonde girl, sizing her up, comparing the rumors she heard to the actual girl sitting in front of her. She knew the headmaster had two daughters, each gifted siphons who grew out of their old human school. They were supposed to be spoiled brats, but something made Penelope think that one twin earned both of them that title. Her eyes flew back to the other twin, her twin, and she instantly couldn’t believe a word of it. This girl didn’t give off a spoiled vibe. Penelope has a feeling she was anything but. 

She also worries over how easy it is to instantly refer to her as her twin.

“And the other twin? Does she have a name?” Penelope asks, seemingly uninterested.

“Josie I think? Josie Saltzman.”

“Josie,” Penelope tests, barely louder than a breath. 

Yet somehow, as if she’d yelled it, Josie’s eyes snap up to meet her own.

Penelope will never know where she gets the nerve, especially not with Josie’s stare making it hard for her to breath. Maybe it’s some sort of instinct, maybe it’s her body’s way to panic, but as Josie watches, Penelope winks at her. Actually winks. Like who even unironically winks?

Josie’s eyes widen. She blushes, dropping her sandwich onto the table and quickly averting her eyes, and just like that, Penelope’s a goner. She never does seem to recover form the spell Josie Saltzman puts her under.

 

The first time Josie Saltzman speaks to Penelope Park she thinks it’s some sort of fever dream.

Obviously Josie knows who Penelope Park is, you would have to live under a rock not to. The black haired witch carried a certain clout in the school and everyone at Salvatore loved clout. Josie had often heard gossip about Penelope, about how perfect she was, how much everyone wanted to be her. Or be with her.

Josie didn’t get it, she really didn’t. Sure, Penelope was pretty. And smart, and powerful, and talented. And she was probably a really great dancer, and her calculated eyes lit up when she smiled, and when her nose scrunched up when she thought something was particularly entertaining it made Josie’s heart stop. But other than that she didn’t really get the whole Penelope Park thing.

So when she’s walking along the outer wall of the school, and Josie gets pulled into a doorway abruptly, she isn’t too enthused when she sees who has done the pulling. Green eyes meet her own and Josie loses her breath. Penelope’s eyes widen, then, almost instantly, harden into something more controlled and disinterested.

“What the hell?”

“Oh great, just my luck, the narc seems to be my very last chance,” Penelope deadpans. She looks Josie up and down and smirks. “And she literally could not be dressed more the part if she tried.”

Josie looks down at her uniform, alarmed and confused.

“This is perfectly standard. What is not perfectly standard is how abruptly you ripped me into this room. Man handle much?”

“I handle men just fine, thank you. Not just men either.” Penelope shoots back. Josie blushes and Penelope seems to light up. “Anyways, I need your help, Saltzman.”

“Why me? You don’t even know me.”

At this, Penelope laughs. “You’re Josie Saltzman, daughter of Alaric, sister of the devil herself. Everyone at school knows who you are.”

“Well I don’t know you.”

“Penelope Park. If you don’t know me yet, you’re sure to know me soon. Listen, this whole maybe I won’t help you thing is cute and all but I’ve seen you around, I know this school like the back of my hand, and so I’m fairly good at reading the people in it.”

“So you spy on people.” Josie raises her eyebrows and Penelope grins.

“Just the ones that stand out.” 

Josie’s eyes flash, surprised. Her blush deepens and, though she looks entirely too pleased with herself, Penelope’s cheeks sport some pink of their own.

Penelope takes a steadying breath, moving forward. “You’re a helper. You help people almost to a fault. And so I know when I ask you to pretend you just hooked up with me in this abandoned classroom so that I can avoid a dumb boy, I have a very good feeling you’re going to say yes.”

Josie nearly chokes.

She only hates the way her stomach pleasantly drops slightly.

“I’m sorry?”

“Brandon Danes. He’s a total prick. I’ve shot him down so many times I’ve lost count. I caught him following me down the hallway so I ducked in here but something tells me he’s waiting outside. I don’t think the word no is in his vocabulary which is concerning. Usually I would just curse his stupid face off but I’m already on thin ice with your dad and believe it or not, being at this school is a really big opportunity for me.” Penelope is so sincere that in this moment Josie is having a hard time marrying the girl in front of her with the ice queen, head bitch image the other witch has going for her. “I wouldn’t ask but I’m seriously out of options.”

Josie is speechless for a moment. On one hand, should she really be helping someone who is on thin ice with her dad? On the other hand in what world was she not going to help a fellow girl get away from a sketchy guy?

The fact that the idea of pretending to hook up with Penelope Park did things to Josie’s heart has nothing to do with anything at all.

So many things are shooting through Josie’s mind as Penelope anxiously waits for an answer. The raven haired girl starts to feel awkward. “I’m sorry, I put you in an awkward position, didn’t I? I can just leave through the door and avoid him the next time I see him.” Penelope starts towards the outside door.

“No!” Josie surprises even herself with the force in her voice. “No, I’d be happy to help.”

Penelope’s face lights up relieved. “Great,” She practically breathes. Then, as if catching herself, Penelope shakes her head, her eyes turning critical. She jokingly eyes Josie, “Now, I have a reputation to uphold.” Josie holds her breath as Penelope paces closer. “May I?”

Josie nods. Penelope pulls at Josie’s shirt, untucking it from her skirt. She pulls Josie’s hair out of it’s tight ponytail. Josie doesn’t move an inch. 

Penelope reaches into her own hair, giving her hair a good muse. Josie imagines her own hands doing the same and has to look quickly away.

When Josie gets the courage to look back up, Penelope is smudging some lip gloss onto her bottom lip with her thumb. She makes eye contact with Josie, waiting for her permission. When Josie nods, Penelope rubs her thumb quickly across Josie’s bottom lip, smudging some gloss there as well. 

Penelope quickly drops her hand, as if touching Josie’s mouth had burned her. Josie knows, embarrassingly enough, that she’ll think about this moment way too much in the upcoming days.

Penelope clears her throat, then snorts, “I doubt you’ve ever looked this disheveled, Saltzman. But what can I say? I make the good girls go bad.” Josie just rolls her eyes.

“In your dreams.”

Penelope smirks and raises her eyebrows, impressed by Josie’s snark. The shorter girl lowers her voice conspiratorially, “Just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t fall in love with me.”

Josie laughs, surprised at the cliche joke. “Won’t be a problem. Self absorbedness isn’t my thing.” Penelope’s eyes twinkle. She opens the door and gestures for Josie to go before her.

Feeling suddenly shy, Josie exits the classroom. 

Predictably, Brandon is leaning in the hallway, looking as sleazy as humanly possible. Josie eyes him warily, offended that someone who serves as much greasy realness as this clown even entertains the idea that he could possibly be anywhere near the same league as Penelope Park. 

Brandon eyes them, seemingly oblivious to their mussed appearances. As Penelope goes to walk down the hallway, away from Josie, he starts to stand, ready to pursue Penelope in earnest. Something inside Josie snaps. She wants this tool to know that Penelope is hers.

Believe. Believe that Penelope is hers.

Josie decides to put on a show. She reaches out for Penelope’s wrist, spinning the startled girl to face her. Josie doesn’t drop her wrist, instead lacing her fingers with Penelope’s and stepping closer.

The shorter girl reacts, panicked, so Josie shoots her a reassuring and sweet smile. With her heart pounding deafeningly in her ears, Josie leans into whisper, just loud enough for Brandon to hear.

“Maybe next time we can make it to a bedroom.”

Penelope is dumbfounded. 

Before she can stop herself, Josie reaches up her hand and wipes away the lipgloss Penelope so painstakingly smudged with her thumb. At this, Brandon huffs and walks away. Josie smiles, triumphant.

“We did it.”

Penelope blinks, dazed. “I’m… Sorry?”

“Brandon, he’s gone,” Josie states. Penelope looks around and as if slowly coming out of a spell, realizes what Josie has said.

“Oh great,” Penelope shakes her head, “Um… I really appreciate it. Feel free to tell the school about this. I’m sure it will really boost your image.” Penelope nods her head, decisive once again. She starts with a purpose back down the hallway.

Josie begins tucking in her shirt grinning uncontrollably to herself.

It wasn’t every day you made Penelope Park blush, but Josie found herself wanting more than anything else to make it her life goal to die trying.

 

The first time Penelope kisses Josie, time stands still for one perfect moment.

It had been a long week of finals and what felt like the entire student body was blowing off steam at another Old Mill Party. Penelope stands with her friends, playing flip cup. To keep things at least a little bit interesting, they aren’t allowed to use their hands, they have to flip the cup with telekinesis. It’s a classic game that Penelope usually excels at.

The second Josie steps into the party it’s like an alarm goes off in Penelope’s head. She finds herself often tracking where Josie is. She has a sense of when Josie is near her in the halls and it’s maddening. 

Penelope would prefer not being so aware of the other girls actions, and not being so aware of herself and what she says and how it feels to move her stupid awkward limbs whenever Josie is in the same room. She wasn't used to feeling awkward, she was calm cool and collected. 

Josie was really messing that up. 

It’s not like Penelope hadn’t talked to the siphon since the classroom incident, she had a lot. She had tried to talk to Josie as much as possible. Penelope did not love how dopey she had looked at the end of that whole situation. Getting flustered because a girl whispered in her ear was not acceptable.

Even if the girl was unbearably adorable.

Penelope had been trying her hardest to fluster Josie as much as possible in order to gain back the upper hand. She was usually successful. Making Josie blush was about as difficult as adding two to two. 

Each time Josie’s cheeks lit up at a carefully placed innuendo or a casually spewed compliment, Penelope felt ten times stronger, unable to stop a grin from lighting up her face.

However, when Josie enters the party and locks eyes with Penelope, the sarcastic drops her full cup to the mud, promptly losing the round for her team.

Penelope practically rolls her eyes at herself. A shot when she first got to the party and a few gulps of beer were not enough to make her drunk, she was truly just this much of a gay disaster now, huh? 

For all her complaining and cursing of Josie Saltzman, it was a sort of sweet suffering to be this aggressively undone by her. 

Unable to stop herself, Penelope lets her eyes fall back to the brown eyed girl and Josie shoots a shy smile her way before being pulled away by Lizzie and Raf. Penelope is left with nothing but a fluttering heart and beer soaked shoes. 

Snapping out of it, she smiles at her confused friends, playing the whole thing off as a purposeful joke. “This game is boring. I’m going to find something better to do,” she says.

Ignoring whatever judgmental reactions her friends were going to shoot her way, Penelope rushes over to the drinks table, fixing herself something stronger than a beer. A happily tipsy MG sidles up to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Peez, this is about to be, the best night of my life,” he tells her, confident.

Penelope rolls her eyes, his enthusiasm obnoxious in the midst of her gay crisis. “You said the same thing last week when we got Taco Bell. You’re honestly not hard to impress.”

MG, unfazed by her criticisms, laughs happily. “Lizzie is totally into me,” he states. Penelope can’t stop the snort that escapes her lips. MG’s grin only widens. “I’m serious! It’s kind of embarrassing how into me she is.”

“And what proof do you have?”

“It’s just the way she looks at me, trust me. I know how to decode a Saltzman. Speaking of which…” He begins annoyingly raising his eyebrows suggestively at his friend. Penelope stares, unamused.

“Speaking of which…?”

“Josie. Girl’s got a major crush on you.” MG states, matter of fact. Penelope laughs, perhaps a little too unhinged to be believable. 

“Josie has a crush on high-collared shirts and following the rules maybe. Not on me,” she scoffs, trying her hardest to appear unfazed by this turn in conversation. MG grins and pokes Penelope’s side, like she’s the most adorable thing he’s ever seen. Penelope is seconds away from cursing him for life.

“You’re cute with your lies. You know you’re completely hot for Jo too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

"Am not."

"So are, embarrassingly so."

“Wanna die?”

MG smiles like an idiot. “If you’re not into each other then riddle me this, why has she been staring at you the entire time we’ve been having this conversation?”

Penelope’s head whips around, looking to see if MG is correct. When her eyes lock on Josie, the shy girl is busy playing a game of Kings with a small group, not even facing her way. Penelope turns back to MG, betrayed. The boy doubles over, laughing at Penelope’s desperate response. “I’m sorry, your face was just too good. But no, yeah, try to tell me again how you’re not at all invested in whether or not she likes you.”

MG’s so proud of himself that Penelope cracks a smile, even if her pride is wounded. She rolls her eyes, “Touché loser. So then what’s your grand plan to get the Saltzman twins to look our way?”

MG’s eyes light up. “Well… we go hang out with them. We laugh, we chat, they fall in love with us. We’re fairly irresistible.”

And because MG’s enthusiasm is contagious, and because Penelope can’t resist trying to get near Josie in the first place, she lets a begrudging yet broad smile take over her features as well. “Lead the way, Romeo.”

The pair joins the game to little complaint. MG confidentially wriggles his way in between Lizzie and Rafael in the circle. Penelope notes that Lizzie doesn’t seem as annoyed by this as she should, her complaints halfhearted. The dark haired girl wonders if maybe MG was onto something.

Penelope, not wanting to seem too eager, sits herself on Rafael’s other side, with Hope to her left and Landon in between Josie and Hope. She may imagine the disappointment she sees on Josie’s face, but she certainly hopes not. 

As she sits it is, unsurprisingly, Lizzie who greets the pair, “Ah the puppy and the sea hag, gracing us with their presence.”

Penelope just smirks, not wanting to make waves just yet. 

Her relationship with Lizzie was so fascinating. On one hand, she hated Lizzie with a burning passion, hating how self centered and spoiled she seemed. On the other hand, Penelope was just glad to have someone around her willing to give back as much sass as she dealt out.

“Try not to be too bitter when you’re chugging the bitch cup, Lizzie. It’s simply fate that it goes to you,” Penelope says, sickeningly sweet.

Lizzie’s eyes sparkle and her mouth twitches. She reaches for a card and pulls a four, causing everyone in the circle to point to the floor. Landon is last and has to take a drink. 

The group continues on like this for a few cards, nothing too interesting happening. When it’s Penelope’s turn she pulls a queen. MG enthusiastically pipes up, “Questions! Some people do the whole speaking only in questions thing but where I come from we do hot seat.”

It’s Josie who responds, confused, “Hot seat?”

“The next three people get to ask Peez here a question. She has to answer all three questions honestly. She then gets to ask anyone in the circle one of the three questions she was just asked. Easy peezy. And a bit more spicy. What do you guys think?” He directs the question to Lizzie, eager for her approval.

Penelope panics a bit at the idea of being put on the spot. “Sounds boring if you ask me.”

Lizzie, the monster that she is, does not pass up an opportunity to capitalize on Penelope’s discomfort. “I say we go for it. All in favor?” Everyone in the circle raises their hands, Josie, perhaps, a bit too hastily. “Raf, you first. Make her squirm.”

Penelope rolls her eyes at the dramatics but secretly freaks the fuck out. Rafael takes time to think about it. Then, “Fuck, Marry, Kill, MG, Lizzie and Landon,” He says with a shit eating grin.

The group laughs and Penelope answers easily enough, “Kill Lizzie, Marry MG, also Kill MG. Fuck Landon to piss Hope off.” The red head laughs as her boyfriend blushes. Penelope winks. 

She turns to MG, ready for whatever bullshit is about to exit his mouth.

“What is your very favorite thing about being friends with me,” MG wonders. Penelope’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, floored that MG didn’t use this opportunity to make her squirm in front of Josie.

“I like that you can compel people into giving me free weed.” MG stares, unaffected and waiting for her real answer. Penelope rolls her eyes, “And your kindness and enthusiasm make me a better person.” MG grins as the whole group coos at Penelope for being nice for once. She rolls her eyes, “Whatever.” She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and shifts her gaze to the ground, ready to answer the last question and be done with this. “Shoot, She-Hulk,” She teases Lizzie.

Lizzie takes her time, mulling over her options. Finally she opens her mouth, “Who in this circle would you most like to smooch?” Penelope’s eyes shoot up to the blonde twin but her eyes are locked onto Josie, an evil smirk on her face. 

Penelope’s heart swoops, unwilling to glance at Josie and unwilling to analyze why the fact that Lizzie is looking at her twin makes Penelope have all sorts of feelings. She glances around at the other people in the group, each of whom are smirking at her, some knowingly, some at the prospect of suck a juicy question.

Penelope wishes the earth would just swallow her now. 

She can’t say Josie, not with all the shit eating grins surrounding her, she would never live it down. She decides to play it safe, joke about Landon again, see if she can actually piss Hope off. She opens her mouth to say just that and instead, what comes out is just, “Josie.”

Penelope’s eyes widen for a split second, betrayed by her own dumb brain. Lizzie smiles triumphantly and pleasantly surprised. Green eyes narrow at the blonde girl.

Embarrassed, Penelope chances a glance at Josie whose brow is furrowed, her eyes analyzing the ground as if it has the secrets to make sense of what just happened. Penelope shakes her head, forcing herself to recover from the mishap.

Green eyes shift back to Lizzie, who is clocking every move looking all too smug. Penelope lets her annoyance fuel her. “Or would it piss you off more if I kissed Raf, Lizzie? Perhaps MG,” she suggests. Everyone in the circle laughs as Lizzie and the two boys blush. “My turn to ask a question then,” she continues, eager to be done with her turn.

She wants so badly to ask Josie who she would kiss. If she had a bit more to drink, she possibly would have. Instead, she turns to MG. “What’s your favorite thing about being friends with me?”

MG’s eyes narrow, still looking embarrassed, “At this moment, I just can’t remember,” he jokes, playacting betrayal.

The group laughs and Penelope laughs along with them. She refuses to look at Josie for the rest of the game. The joy of seeing Lizzie drink the bitch cup almost makes the blush leave her cheeks completely.

After the game, Penelope leaves MG to help Lizzie pick up the cards. She hopes that they can at least bond over the fact that they both are mutually annoyed at her currently.

She approaches the drinks table to grab another vodka pineapple and feels MG cautiously sneak up behind her. She smirks, “So did my master plan work, is Lizzie Saltzman completely in love with you? You can thank me later.” She finishes her pour and turns, not being met with MG at all.

“Did you mean it?” Josie looks bothered, and stunning, always stunning, but above all else confused and upset. There’s a tinge to her cheeks, perhaps from the alcohol, perhaps from the confrontation, probably a combination.

Penelope looks around, noticing that her friends are nearby, watching the exchange curiously. She puts on a teasing face.

“The thing about Lizzie being the devil? Absolutely,” Penelope deflects. Josie huffs, annoyed. She grabs Penelope’s elbow and drags her away from prying ears, into the line of the trees. She releases Penelope when they are out of sight of the party and takes a few steps farther, then whirls around.

“It’s rude to toy with people’s emotions, okay? You just… You shouldn’t do it.”

Penelope softens, her heart fluttering, swooping at the concentrated look on Josie’s face. She opens her mouth, “Okay.”

“If you want to kiss me you should just say it. So that way I’ll know,” Josie says, annoyed.

“Okay.”

“So do you want to kiss me?”

And that’s a complicated question, isn’t it? Because Penelope has never wanted anything more. To the point where it terrifies her. She suspects that once she kisses Josie it will change something forever and Penelope just isn’t sure if she’s ready for that thing to be forever changed.

And for the second time that night Penelope opens her mouth to say one thing but instead says, “Yes.”

Josie blinks at her, adorably stunned by what she’s hearing. Penelope wonders why she dragged her into the woods if she was feeling even a little bit uncertain of what Penelope felt for her. Penelope marvels at Josie's bravery. Penelope wonders how Josie can be surprised she wants her when she often feels like it’s written on her forehead for the entire world to see.

Then the siphon’s face sets, determined. “Well then, do it already,” she demands.

“Okay.”

And so, gently but surely, Penelope steps into Josie’s space, giving her a chance to step away. And when Josie doesn’t, the shorter girl wraps a hand around the twins neck and pulls her face down.

When their lips meet, Penelope can’t breath. She is sure no one else in the world exists in that moment. Josie kisses her back as if she was put on the planet to do so. Penelope tries not to get her hopes up that maybe she was.

 

The second time Josie kisses Penelope it feels like she's burning from the inside out.

As Penelope presses her back against a tree, Josie strains to hear the sounds of the party going on somewhere near by.

Josie realizes that she doesn’t even care if someone finds them like this. She doubts she would notice. She can’t think with the shorter girl’s tongue dipping into her mouth.

Someone moans, she couldn’t tell who.

Her mind jumps around, unable to stick to one thought for too long. She’s consumed by Penelope’s hand on the pair patch of skin exposed by her shirt riding up on her hip. Then lips pressed to her neck. Then a laugh against her lips.

Penelope is everywhere and she just can’t think straight.

Josie’s entire body has a mind of its own and she is kissing Penelope in a way she has never kissed anyone on this planet before.

She could write infinite sonnets about kissing Penelope Park.

For the first time in a long time Josie feels roaringly out of control. And she adores every second of it.

 

The first time Penelope hears Josie sing, she swears she dies just a little bit. 

It’s been a long time coming, with Lizzie planning a school wide bar crawl for months, and when they end up at The Timbre, a karaoke bar, though it’s a bit nerdy, Penelope delights at the chance to see her peers embarrass themselves beyond repair.

Lizzie kicks off the night with a rousing rendition of Fergalicious, and MG gives Penelope years worth of blackmail material when he steps on stage and sings Landslide. It’s as Landon is hilariously belting out Piano Man that Penelope feels someone settle in the chair beside her.

She knows before she looks up who it is, would be able to tell without having the smell of her mango body wash burned into her brain for the rest of eternity.

“Are we ever going to talk about it?” Josie has to lean close to Penelope’s ear to be heard over the noise that Landon is forcing from his vocal chords. Penelope smells the vodka and cranberry on her breath and is already completely tuned in, overjoyed and terrified to be able to witness whatever drunken masterpiece is about to come out of Josie’s mouth.

Penelope turns to Josie, slowly, cautious, putting on a disinterested show. “Talk about what.”

Josie huffs, annoyed, and waits for Penelope to fill in blanks. When she doesn’t Josie leans in, frustrated and embarrassed. “We flirt.”

“Flirt?” The raven haired girl plays dumb, amused at Josie’s innocence and eager to see how far Josie will talk through her discomfort.

“Yes. Constantly.” Josie confirms, no doubt in her mind, the sort of confidence that only comes from a healthy amount of alcohol. Penelope knows there shouldn’t be a doubt in her mind, even without the alcohol. Everything Josie says is true. 

Josie takes a breath, trying to steady her thoughts. She continues, “And you kissed me. For a while. And I kissed you back for a while. And yet, when you’re talking to me and you’re… girl gang swaggers up, all a sudden it’s like you’re this different person. No one at school knows that we flirt except for us. I guess I’d just like to know why, because I’m ready to flirt in public too. Just all the time if you want.” 

Penelope does want, but before she can open her mouth to explain that, Josie continues, “Am I not cool enough for you or something?”

And because teasing is second nature to her, and because she can’t help herself around Josie, Penelope quips back, “Well you did just say the phrase swaggers up with a straight face.”

Josie’s face falls and Penelope hates herself for joking when clearly a drunk Josie is a very literal Josie. The black haired girl leans in to correct herself but is cut off by applause for Landon’s whatever the hell that just was. Josie resolutely turns back to the stage so Penelope follows suit, watching as Lizzie climbs back up to MC.

“Wow, Landon I’ll be honest, you should definitely not quit your day job. Okay Stallions! Please welcome to the stage the very second best person at this school, you know her, you love her, you always see me with her, Miss Josette Saltzman.” 

Penelope watches, shocked as Josie drunkenly stands, waving politely. She leans down to whisper in Penelope’s ear.

“How’s this for cool.” And though Josie’s voice is as far from intimidating as possible, and though Penelope is still trying desperately day in and day out to be unaffected by this girl, a shot of pleasant nerves shoots to her stomach as Josie saunters adorably onto the stage.

Penelope has heard Josie hum before, knows she can carry a tune. She holds her breath expecting Carol King or maybe Tracy Chapman. When a loud funk bass line fills the bar, everyone in the crowd stirs, delightfully surprised. Josie grips the microphone looking so bashful and perfect but swaying her hips ever so slightly to the beat. Penelope sits stiller and quieter than she ever has in her life.

“You ain’t got no kind of feeling inside. I got something that will sure ‘nough set your stuff on fire.” Josie’s voice is strong and soulful. The entire student body has their mouth’s agape, no one more aggressively than Penelope.

“You refuse to put anything before your pride.” Josie’s eyes lock onto Penelope’s and Penelope feels her face heat up. “What I got will knock all your pride aside.” 

Penelope didn’t know she had a thing for singers until right then. She would happily let Josie knock her pride aside. Hell , she would throw her pride aside herself. Hell, she would let Josie Saltzman knock whatever the hell she wanted wherever the hell she decided.

A bunch of the students join in with Josie, “Tell me something good,” and Josie smiles, delighted and adorable. “Tell me that you love me yeah.” 

Someone in the crowd whistles and Josie glances around, surprised and nervous and truly enjoying herself, uninhibited. Penelope finds herself thinking she’s the most beautiful girl she’s ever seen for about the millionth time.

And absolutely the coolest.

“Tell me something good. Tell me that you like it.” 

Someone in the crowd yells out, “We like it, Saltzman, we like it!” Some laugh while others just continue to sing along. Penelope feels a flash of jealousy at the implication and Josie catches it clear as day. She laughs at Penelope, her eyes never leaving the raven haired girl’s. She raises her eyebrows and Penelope gets the hint, if she doesn’t go for Josie, someone else will.

Josie, emboldened by the warm reactions to her performance, takes full control of the stage. “Got no time is what you're known to say. I'll make you wish there was forty-eight hours to each day.” Penelope already wishes that. Twenty-four does not seem like long enough to spend with the completely perfect girl in front of her.

Josie does a dip and the crowd screams. “The problem is you ain't been loved like you should.” Penelope’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. Josie nods at her as if to say it’s true. “What I got to give will sure 'nough do you good.” Penelope laughs, delighted as the crowd begins to look back and forth between the pair, catching on.

Josie begins to walk through the crowd at the last chorus. The class sing the melody while Josie sings riffs over it. She approaches Penelope slow. The crowd, shocked, eggs her on, clearing a direct path to Penelope.

Josie passes a delight MG. She ruffles his hair. When she passes a tipsy Hope, Penelope glares at the way she slaps Josie’s butt. Hope shoots her a shit eating grin. Kaleb kisses Josies hand as she strolls by. Rafael bows down to her as she continues to sing, and Landon gives a loud whistle.

It’s Lizzie’s Beaming face that surprises Penelope most. As Josie passes, she stops next to Lizzie seated with their friends. Lizzie wraps her arms around Josie’s hips, drunkenly resting her head against her twins stomach. She shoots Penelope an amused grin, confirming that the green eyed witch probably looks as stupid and gleeful as she feared she did. Josie continues on.

Penelope schools her delighted features into a cool mask as everyone starts closing in behind her. She tries not to smile but a smirk slips onto her face. Finally, Josie is in front of her. 

“Tell me something good.” Penelope even joins in on some of the last repetitions.

Josie finishes strong. “Tell me that you like it, yeah, yeah, don't you like it, baby?” The crowd goes absolutely insane.

Josie stands in front of a stretched back Penelope expectantly. The taller girl raises her eyebrows, waiting. Penelope is annoyed at how attractive she finds the cockiness, on anyone other than Josie, it would cause a violent reaction. And yet.

It became a battle of wills. Penelope not wanting to let out how affected she was by Josie. Josie, with her drunken confidence, knowing full well she just crushed that song.

The crowd, sensing something coming, all hold their breathes. A pin drop could be heard.

Penelope stands, eyes never leaving Josie’s. She clears her throat and they have the entire rooms attention. Josie shrugs, seeing no one but Penelope.

And because she can think of nothing better she could do, and because there’s nothing more she wants to do, Penelope puts her hands on the back of Josie’s neck and pulls her in. And suddenly they are kissing. 

The crowd screams, raging as only a bunch of dumb, drunk kids can. 

Someone begins the chant and the rest of the student body chimes in, “Tell her that you like it!”

Penelope rolls her eyes, and because she’s not ready for what she really wants to say she just says, “ I like it.”

And that’s enough to light up Josie’s face anyway.

 

The first time Josie yells at Penelope it’s only because she’s really pissed.

It had been an entire week since karaoke night, an entire week since they kissed in front of the entire school, and Penelope was perfectly happy to act like nothing ever happened. Sure, Josie still sees her in classes and in the hall, she still talks to Josie, teases her a ton, but when you kiss your day one crush after a very public declaration, you kind of hope that more will happen. Maybe a date, maybe a chat about feelings, that sort of thing.

So when Penelope starts avoiding eye contact in the hallways like it will give her some sort of fungus, very obviously she is hurt by it.

She asks Lizzie for advice but all she can come up with is, “You should be glad she’s not making eye contact. Did you want to be turned to stone?”

When that clearly isn’t soothing and others start to notice, Josie begins feeling a bit silly.

Several times MG has made eye contact, looking like he’s going to start a conversation, before he thinks better of it and changes the subject. After a bit of pressing, Josie gets a, “She’s just scared,” from the boy, but when questioned further, he refuses to elaborate.

The entire ordeal has Josie feeling very spooked and aggressively insecure.

Hope suggests that Maybe Penelope is stunted, maybe she is running from her feelings because she has never had any feelings before in her life. Josie feels guilty wishing that were true. She doesn’t want her existence to cause Penelope to meltdown, but at least then she would know that the other girl has feelings for her.

As it stands, Josie cannot stand the absence of certainty in her life. She feels stupid for letting herself believe that maybe this thing with Penelope could be more than just a few drunk kisses, could turn into something she could depend on.

It isn’t until Josie sees Penelope giggling with a cute vampire girl that her embarrassment turns to anger. There’s something about the way the girl puts her hand on Penelope’s arm, bites her lip, and says something flirty, that makes Josie see clear as day that this girl wants to get a bit more intimate with her crush. 

And the way that Penelope laughs along makes her possessive in a way she’s never been before. 

She sees red in a way she only does when Penelope is involved. Josie stomps up to the pair, glaring daggers at the vampires hand where it still rests on Penelope. Penelope looks up to Josie, shocked.

“Josie.”

“Penelope,” Josie puts on her most saccharine smile, ignoring the vampire entirely, “A word please.” Without waiting to see if Penelope is following, Josie marches into a nearby empty classroom.

As if it’s simply a law of nature, Penelope follows, closing the door behind her. Josie paces, working herself into a tizzy. Penelope sits down on a desk, silently letting Josie work it out.

This situation feels like the woods all over again and Josie curses herself for potentially setting herself up to care about someone who doesn’t feel the same. But because she’s Josie, and because Penelope is so Penelope, the siphon can’t stop herself from letting it all flow out of her anyway.

“You kissed me. Twice. You didn’t have to, you could have said no and they were nice kisses! Great even and it all meant something to me.” She lowers her voice conspiratorially, “I dreamed about them. But then the next week you just continue on as if it never even happened. Who makes out with someone in a forest for the better part of an hour and kisses her the next weekend in front of the entire school and then won’t even look them in the eye the next day? You can’t just do that!” She stops to catch her breath and Penelope tries her hardest to follow the rant. 

Before the dark haired girl can respond, Josie seems to really hit her stride. She continues her pacing back and forth in front of Penelope. The other girl tracks her closely on her path.

“And flaunting a girl around school? That’s just cruel. I mean sure she’s pretty but so am I! I am a hot ticket around here and other people are interested. You aren’t gods gift to women! You’re just a girl and if you ask me I think you’re scared. Because you feel something when we kiss. And so that’s why I’m putting my foot down. You are officially not allowed to kiss anyone else. You should only be kissing me, because…” 

Before Josie can get back into it Penelope reaches out and pulls her wrist. Surprised, Josie stumbles between her legs, her breath catching in her throat. Penelope tilts her head up and Josie melts, closing the distance between them.

Just like the first time, Josie sees stars. The only thing holding her to earth is Penelope’s lips on her own. When they pull apart to catch their breaths, Josie can’t remember her name, let alone what she was saying.

“Okay.” Penelope sighs out, perfectly content.

Josie shakes her head, trying to clear the daze she’s under. “I’m sorry?”

“Okay. I’ll only kiss you from now on. The girl, Maggie, is dead to me.” 

Josie smiles softly but rolls her eyes, “You see, that makes me ecstatic, it truly does, but you can’t just kiss me and fix everything. We have to talk about things sometimes.”

“I’m not much of a talker, I’m more of a doer.” 

“Penelope,” Josie sighs.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

“What?”

“You’re kind and you’re pretty and I like you a lot. There's nothing going on between me and Maggie, I swear. Did I mention you're pretty? Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Josie’s head reels from the whiplash. Slowly, a smile overtakes her face. “I’m sorry. Is THE Penelope Park asking the headmaster’s daughter to go steady?”

“I don’t know how much clearer I can be.”

“Wow. I feel so powerful.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” 

“Is this what it feels like to be you?” Josie laughs, amazed.

Penelope let’s out a heavy sigh. “Josie, please, answer now, this kind of thing isn’t easy for me,” she whines. And though she’s kidding, the taller girl notes that perhaps she even looks nervous.

Josie, grinning, dips her head to give Penelope a chaste kiss. “Okay fine, fine. I’ll be your girlfriend.” And Penelope’s responding smile wraps its way around her heart. “Now stop embarrassing yourself.”

Josie drinks in the responding laugh like she’s dying of dehydration. And she silently prays she never forgets how she feels in that moment.

 

The first time Penelope tells Josie she loves her it is half an accident.

Josie is just so… Josie.

Penelope sits cross legged against the head of her bed as Josie lays flat, looking at her upside down. They had started out studying for their end of term exams, but somewhere along the way had started talking about ghosts which led to reincarnation and ultimately to their books thrown to the floor, forgotten.

Penelope finds herself getting lost in Josie near constantly. In silky hair fanned out across her thread bar sheets keeping them cool in the summer heat. In the faint smell of sunscreen mixed in with familiar mango body wash. In idle fingers tracing shapes onto her own bare thigh.

And because it was inevitable, and because she had been trying not to for what felt like forever, and because Josie just asked her who her favorite Bear in the Big Blue House character is so genuinely, Penelope can’t stop herself.

“I love you.”

She doesn’t remember giving her brain permission to push it past her lips and yet she can’t find it in her to care.

And when Josie’s big doe eyes blink, surprised and then soften, and her mouth opens up to breath out an, “I love you too,” Penelope thanks her stupid idiot brain for constantly screwing up and leading her to the best moments of her stupid idiot life.

 

The first time Josie proposes to Penelope it’s drunk at a Denny’s with a twisted up straw wrapper when she’s nineteen. She hadn't meant to, but her girlfriend had offered her a bite of her french toast and Penelope just looked sooo pretty at the bar and now there in the Denny's with her twinkly green eyes and her perfect little turtle smile. Josie can't stop herself no matter how hard she tries. Penelope amusedly requests that she waits till she’s sober and older to ask her again. Josie would be upset but Penelope's pleased grin looks so perfect across her embarrassment and drunk tinted cheeks that Josie thinks she wouldn't mind being able to ask the girl this same question in a few years if it meant seeing that look again.

 

The first time Penelope proposes to Josie it’s at a karaoke night at The Timbre. Penelope sings "Sign, Sealed, Delivered" and ends on one knee with a ring in her hand. Josie ugly cries at how out of character it was for her and says yes roughly two million times.

The first time either of the two walk down the aisle is perfect and easily the last. The first time Josie breezily calls Penelope her wife she stops her conversation with her coworker to call her twin and tell her how crazy it is that she has a wife now. Who is Penelope Park. The first time Penelope holds her baby she cries because she looks like Josie and she always loved how Josie looked.

 

The first time Josie Saltzman lays eyes on Penelope Park, a green eye winks and she’s so flustered she drops her sandwich. 

It’s nothing out of the ordinary really, Josie is almost always flustered. And yet this feels different. 

Because part of her blushes because a pretty girl winked at her and she’s only human. But the other part of her blushes because the first thing that runs through her mind is: that girl is mine.

And Josie never thinks like that. Would never speak that possessively out loud. But something about that particular shade of green and the flash of an adorable turtle like smile makes her a new type of confident.

And so she thinks what she wants about the girl. Because who knows, maybe one day this girl would be hers. And Josie would be the girls, if anything to be fair.

The first time Josie Saltzman lays eyes on Penelope Park she just has a feeling. For some inexplicable reason she just knows, they belong to each other.

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it. Penelope and Josie are flustered idiots for each other and Penelope learns how to be better at having feelings and stuff. This was my first pic so thanks so much for reading it. I would love your comments to try and better myself. Roast me!


End file.
